Then again, who was he kidding? She was already in his system. Really, really deep in there.
And what he wanted was to be really deep in her.
“So what have you ladies been up to since we last ran into each other?” He used his most conversational tone as he finally lowered himself onto the tall stool next to Lynn’s.
“Tons of fun stuff,” Suz answered for both of them. She flashed a grin at her friend. “Tell them the good news.”
Lynn shrugged, and Parker didn’t miss the way she shifted awkwardly.
“She’s officially on the market again,” Suz announced when Lynn didn’t speak. “Single and lovin’ it, right, hon?”
An entire unspoken conversation occurred in the brief look Parker exchanged with Dean. And the loudest and most important of all his thoughts kept repeating over and over.
She’s not with Shotelle anymore?
Parker’s mind was running a million miles a minute, working through the implications of this latest development. If Lynn was no longer dating Shotelle, that meant…
Christ, that meant he’d just been handed the equivalent of a winning lottery ticket.
“Breakups can be tough,” he commiserated. “Are you okay?” It took every ounce of willpower to mask his joy and try to sound suitably sympathetic.
“I’m fine.” She smiled at him. “Truth is, I wasn’t happy in the relationship. I’m actually glad it’s over.”
“What about you?” Dean asked, shifting his attention to Suz. “Got a boyfriend, or are you single and lovin’ it?”
Suz licked her lips. “What do you think?”
Dean licked his lips right back. “I think we need to order some shots.”
Another laugh escaped the blonde’s lips, only it was cut short by a loud chime. “Hold that thought. I need to check this.”
She reached for the bright purple purse hanging off the back of her stool, rummaged around inside it, and finally emerged with a cell phone.
One glance at the screen, and Suz lit up like a Christmas tree. “Oh hell, yeah.” Her expression suddenly creased as she turned to Lynn. “Please don’t kill me, but I might have to leave right away.”
Lynn narrowed her eyes. “You might have to leave, or you’re leaving?”
Suz heaved out a sigh. “Tony just flew in. He’s got a five-hour layover.” Her green eyes gleamed as she checked her phone again. “Ooooh, and his copilot Diego is with him. Those poor, poor boys. They’re so very bored.”
“Thought you didn’t have a boyfriend.” Dean wagged his finger at the blonde.
Suz batted her eyelashes in his direction. “I don’t. But I do have a standing arrangement with a very skilled pilot who I only get to see a couple times a year, so…” With a what-can-you-do shrug, she rose to her feet and focused on her friend again, her expression growing more serious. She leaned in close to Lynn’s ear, but spoke loud enough Parker easily overheard. “You okay getting yourself home?”
A rude noise escaped Lynn’s perfect red lips. “Yes, Mom. I think I can handle it.”
“Under any other circumstances I wouldn’t bail on you, you know that, right, babe?”
When Parker glanced up, he expected to find annoyance clouding Lynn’s face, but she looked more amused than upset.
“Oh, go,” she said with the wave of her hand. “I know how much these bi-yearly layovers mean to you, you brat.”
Suz snorted. “Oh, bi is definitely the right word to describe it. Did I tell you how much Tony and Diego like to…uh, fly each other’s planes?”
Lynn blew out a laugh. “That’s a terrible metaphor.”
“Best I could come up with on the spot.” Suz dug into her purse for her wallet, then dropped several bills on the table. “Drinks are on me, guys. Sorry I’m flaking out on you.”
“I would do exactly the same thing if I were in your shoes,” Dean said solemnly.
She slanted her head. “You’re in the layover club, too?”
“Damn straight. Remind me to introduce you to Marie and Colette someday. San Fran to Paris, Delta Airlines.”
The two of them exchanged high fives and damn near mirror-image winks. Parker was not the least bit surprised to hear confirmation that Dean had a pair of flight attendants on standby. The guy’s list of conquests was impressive, though of course, he would never tell Dean that. Dude already had a big enough ego.
It was hysterical how much Suz and he had in common.
“Love ya, hon.” Suz leaned in to kiss Lynn’s cheek. “And I’m damn proud of you for dumping the Philanderer.”
And then she was gone, leaving the three of them alone.
Jack
Driving the sixteen-passenger van was nothing. Hell, he had time behind the controls of a tank, so picking up a dozen-plus ladies and transporting them to the party was simple. Smiles were plentiful, cleavage everywhere. His rearview mirror provided enough entertainment to put a big smile on his face by the time he pulled into the driveway of the stately manor, but the delicious distraction didn’t hamper his ability to remain professional. This was a job. Enjoyable, but under control.
The ladies poured out as soon as he opened the passenger van sliding door, hand at the ready to assist them down.
One held his fingers longer than needed. “What a gentleman.” Charlene blinked rapidly, long lashes fluttering above admiring green eyes.
“We aim to please.” He’d pulled on a full suit for the evening, and the woman’s appreciation had made the extra effort worth it. He did like redheads, although he wasn’t going to think any harder about why. And Charlene was off-limits for the night anyway, no matter how interested he was.
Charlene lingered until the rest of the party was already at the door. She slipped her fingers around his arm and tugged him toward the house. “Come on. You can relax inside until you drive us home. You must be parched.”
Her tight grip meant there was no use in protesting. Which was how he ended up in a small alcove off the main party room, half the women visible as they swarmed the bride-to-be with presents and hugs. One of the helpful caterers brought him a glass of soda, and with a multitude of snacks at his elbow he sat back to relax and wait for the end of the party.
The laughter and frivolity grew louder after the liquor came out. Louder still once the music clicked on and the lingerie portion of the evening arrived.
Oh shit.
Jack glanced around quickly, but his corner had no escape route except straight through the party. A party that now included women who were carelessly abandoning clothing as they tried on miniscule bits of lace and satin. Some of them were down to skin before eager hands helped fit breasts and hips and wondrous feminine curves into the most erotic wrappings.
A better man would have looked away.
Jack? He accepted the fact that he was a scoundrel.
His gaze refused to budge from the heavenly show before him, and he also accepted that he would now spend the next how many hours rock hard with no chance of relief in sight until he’d safely delivered the final woman home. He eased his legs under the table, attempting to get even a fraction more room for his heavy erection.
In spite of the painful brand his zipper was pressing onto his dick, Jack grinned. He was driving the pussy-wagon. Parker and Dean were stuck doing boring old recon.
He had definitely pulled the winning hand tonight.
Chapter Five
Parker watched Suz walk away, a sense of holy crap spinning through his brain. What would’ve been a fun foursome had quickly transformed into an intimate threesome, with Lynn smack in the middle of it. And without her friend to serve as a buffer, this night could get…interesting.
“Your friend is really something,” Parker remarked.
“She sure is.” Those beautiful eyes softened with obvious fondness. “I admire her so much. Suz is a free spirit, and she doesn’t care what anybody thinks of her. It’s refreshing.”
“What about you? Are you a free spirit?”
She ran a hand over her dark hair, then played with a long strand that had come loose from her braid, twirling it around her finger. “Occasionally. I like trying new things, but there are times it would be tough to just go for it and forget the consequences. I mean, I can be adventurous, but I’m not sure I’m up for some of the escapades Suz gets herself into.”
He should have known the chance of Dean letting the opportunity pass was nil.
“What?” A mock gasp escaped his friend as he laid a hand over his heart. “Are you saying you don’t have regularly scheduled threesomes with pilots?”
She switched her attention to the table, running a finger around the top edge of her shooter glass. Her shoulders lifted in a shrug as she focused intently down, gaze safely averted. “Sounds fun on paper, but if it was actually happening, I’d probably be really anxious.”
“Sleeping with two men would make you anxious?” Dean said, looking amused. “Why?”
Lynn’s cheeks took on the sexiest, rosiest blush Parker had ever seen. It was so enticing, in fact, his cock went from semi-erect to rock hard in a nanosecond.
“Seems like a lot of pressure,” she confessed, a tiny grin forming on her perfect, pouty lips. “I mean, how do you even begin pleasuring two men at the same time? I get the logistics of how it could work—what goes where and who does what. But even as a pretty efficient multitasker in my regular life, I can’t imagine being able to lavish the same amount of attention on both guys, you know?”
Parker couldn’t help himself—he burst out laughing.
Which earned him a frown from the woman beside him as her eyes finally lifted, indignation in their crystal depths. “Don’t laugh. I’m being serious.”
“I know you are,” he said, chuckling again. “And it’s so damn cute.”
She blinked. “Really?”
“Cute as a fuckin’ button,” Dean chimed in. “Because you’ve got it all wrong.”
“I do?”
“Oh yeah. See, you need to change your way of thinking when it comes to threesomes. It’s not about you pleasuring two men—” Dean took a long sip of beer before fixing Lynn with a heavy-lidded look, “—it’s about two men pleasuring you.”
The heat and interest that flickered in her eyes sent another spike of arousal right to Parker’s aching cock.
Shit. Why did she have to look so intrigued? And why wasn’t he enough of a gentleman to stop the wicked images suddenly swarming his mind?
But all he could think about was Lynn’s golden naked body stretched out on crisp white sheets—while two hungry male mouths devoured her like she was a juicy Thanksgiving banquet.
He wondered what kind of noises she’d make when she had one mouth teasing her breasts, another mouth between her legs. Would the two of them be able to make her moan? Scream? Maybe she’d only breathe heavily as she writhed on the mattress. Maybe she’d tangle her hands in his hair while he licked her pussy thoroughly until she broke.
The throb of desire pulsed in Parker’s groin, making it impossible to concentrate on anything but the gorgeous woman at his side.
“Dean’s right,” he said thickly. “It’s about your pleasure. About making you feel so good you can’t move for days afterward.”
Her lips quirked. “Are you telling me, or offering?”
His heart damn near stopped. Fuck. It was time to derail this crazy train before it totally went off the track and hurtled into territory they had no business going. The Shotelle job might be unofficially over, but that didn’t mean they could take advantage of the woman and seduce her when she was on the rebound.
Clearly Dean agreed with him, because the guy swiftly changed the subject, much to Parker’s surprise. His hedonistic buddy didn’t typically shy away from conversations that revolved around hot, sweaty threesome sex.
“How about we order those shots?” Dean suggested.
A secretive little smile crossed Lynn’s pretty face. “Sure.”
After Dean had flagged down the waitress and placed their order, he clasped both hands on the tabletop and turned to Lynn. “So what do you do for work?”
“I’m a layout editor for the Bay City Press.”
“Sounds cool. Do you like it?”
She nodded. “It’s great. Allows me to be creative but also to use my practical skills. I’m really good with computers. What about you guys?”
“We own a dating service,” Parker answered, ignoring the startled look he got from Dean.
But he figured there was no harm in telling her the truth, and now that she and Shotelle were kaput, any conflict of interest had vanished. Still, omitting the fact that her boyfriend had hired them to plan a date for her brought a pang of guilt to Parker’s gut, but he couldn’t bring himself to reveal the whole truth. He got the feeling it would send Lynn straight out the door, and he wasn’t ready to part ways with her yet.
“You’re joking,” she said, glancing from one man to the other.
Dean chuckled. “No joke. We own and operate a company called DreamMakers.”
She looked utterly fascinated. “You’re matchmakers?”
“No. No matchmaking. More like event planning,” Parker explained. “We plan extravagant dates and events for helpless boyfriends or husbands who don’t have the imagination to do it themselves.”
“Wow. I am honestly surprised.” She shook her head in amazement. “How on earth did you two get into something like that?”
“There’re three of us, actually. Me, Dean, and our buddy Jack. We all served in the army together.”
She seemed to be fighting a laugh. “So three soldiers got together and decided to organize romantic dates for a living?”
Parker grinned. “We saw there was a market for it, and decided to take advantage.”
“You guys must be huge romantics,” she mused. “Really into flowers and love letters and all that mushy stuff, huh?”
“Definitely.” He and Dean exchanged glances then snickered.
Lynn looked puzzled.
He let her in on the joke. “We get razzed about this all the time. We know our stuff, or research if we have to,” Parker admitted, “but don’t go around telling people we’re some kind of softies.” He gave her a wink. “We’re manly men, Lynn.”
“Hey, if people think you’re softies, that’s only good for business,” she protested. “Right?”
“Good point. Okay, fine. You can tell potential clients we’re into all the romance stuff. But potential lovers? Well, they need to know we’re half and half—fifty percent romantic, fifty percent tough guy.”
“Yep,” Dean agreed. “We’re the guys who’ll write you a love letter, all right—then we’ll fuck you senseless while you read it.”
“Ah, I see.” Lynn’s lips twitched. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The waitress returned to their table with three shot glasses and a plate with cut limes and salt. Lynn caught her by the arm before she could walk away. “Can you bring another round right away?”
“Another?” Parker asked.
Her smile that simply screamed mischief returned, brighter than ever. “You’re right. We should get two more to save on the wait time.”
Dean slid from his stool to the one Suz had abandoned, putting him close enough to brush shoulders with Lynn. “Fine by me.”
Crap. So much for Dean acting responsibly tonight. “You guys go ahead,” Parker offered. “I’ll have this one, then switch to soda. Someone’s got to be the DD.”
The waitress flashed a smile. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
What the heck had gotten into her? Lynn wondered.
Not as much as you’d like, the little voice inside her head taunted while unhelpfully flashing images of cocks doing all manner of explicit inside work.
Oh man, oh man, oh man. The fact she was picturing cocks—i.e., more than the single sword she’d ever dealt with in the past—only made her body flame hotter.
She reached for a shot glass in the hopes the liquid would cool
her down a fraction.
“Not like that.” Dean sounded so scandalized Lynn jerked her fingers away and faced him. He leaned in closer, turning his head at the last second. His cheek brushed hers. “Cheaper tequila goes down smoother if you drink it properly.”
The fine layer of scruff on his cheek scratched lightly, and she shivered.
“He’s right.” Parker now, on her left. When had he moved closer, his stool near enough that her thigh and his were in contact?
Sexy-and-I-know-it men surrounded her, which made the truth all the more apparent. Going home alone tonight and masturbating held little appeal. She’d been flying solo for long enough, and since she had officially called it off with Phil, there was no reason to not fully enjoy the evening.
Double swords for the win.
Maybe she had a little liquid courage in her veins, but pushing her forward even more was the pride Suz had expressed, and her BFF’s example of grabbing life with both hands.
“So, what’s the right way? You going to teach me?” Good Lord, was that husky, sex-soaked voice hers? “And are you both going to teach me, or does one of you like to watch?”
“Hot damn, babe. That was downright nasty.” Dean slipped his fingers through hers, lifted her hand to his lips, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“Is nasty good?”
A second hand took possession of hers. Parker stroked her fingers as his thumb rubbed the inside of her wrist. “Better than good. We’ll both help you. I’ll start.” He brought her hand to his mouth and slowly licked the webbing between her thumb and forefinger. “Makes the salt stay in place.”
The wet heat also made tingles race up her arm so hard Parker could have been shoving her hand into an electric socket. “I can never coordinate the timing right,” she confessed, her words shaking slightly.
Dean lifted her shot glass. “Put yourself into our very capable hands.”
“We’ll take care of you,” Parker promised as he sprinkled a pinch of salt on her carefully balanced hand. His gaze drifted over her body, stroking her breasts and along the low neckline of her tank top. Rising to her neck where her heartbeat pulsed. Lingered briefly on her lips until he finally met her eyes. “You ready?”
All Fired Up (DreamMakers) Page 6